Tata launched the 2013 Tata Nano in a blitzkrieg of a reveal a while back. The company showcased eight new products across 5 of its brands and there have more news about more cars from its stable getting a make over. What we are interested in here though, is the Nano.
The Tata Nano, when launched first in 2008 was labeled as the ‘world’s cheapest car’. Though that may have seemed a good idea at that time, Tata soon realised that people do not like to be seen in a car that promotes itself as being the cheapest, even if their monetary situation couldn’t allow them to buy anything else. That coupled with the negative publicity the company received due problems with it’s factory at Singur and reports of some cars catching fire did not help sales at all. The sales of the car in recent month have not crossed a 1000 units and Tata needs this to change desperately.
Updated on 1st October 2013
Tata Motors has released the prices of the 2013 Tata Nano. Prices of the three variants have been increased by Rs. 5000 over the previous car.
Price
2013 Tata Nano STD: Rs. 1.5 Lakh
2013 Tata Nano CX: Rs. 1.95 Lakh
2013 Tata Nano LX: Rs. 2.2 Lakh
Prices mentioned are ex-showroom Delhi.
Updated on 26th June 2013
Tata has been trying hard to change the mindset of customers about the Nano, it doesn’t want them to see the car as a poor man’s car, but rather as a hip-and-happening sort of a vehicle. The Nano has been the canvas for artists, recent ads of the car show youngsters using it and it has also been promoting films with a young-generation theme (like Fukrey). The 2013 Tata Nano takes this ‘made-for-the-young theme forward.
What’s New?
If you were to buy a Nano without any of the four body kits that Tata will be offering from September this year, you would have found it hard pressed to spot any differences on the outside. The number of variants remain the same: Standard, CX and LX. There are some changes on the inside which are pretty noticeable. There are new paint options and body kits available for those who want their Nano to look funky/different. Some changes have been made to the mechanicals to improve the driving experience of the car. The biggest change though, is the availability of a CNG variant.
Exterior
Changes on the outside of the 2013 Tata Nano are limited to chrome strips at the bottom of the bonnet and the un-openable trunk. Apart from the only thing that is different on the car is the bigger air intakes. The Nano will get two new paint options: Royal Gold and Dazzle Blue. Don’t fret, these changes may sound small but there is more, the Nano will get four bodykits.
The bodykits, Tata hopes will attract more youngsters to the brand, as thy allow users to customise their cars according to their tastes. The bodykits will be available only on the CX and LX variants of the car, owners of the current version of the Nano can get these kits too. These kits bring changes strictly on the exterior of the car, and each kit can be identified with a branding sticker on the front fender of the car:
“Jet”
Tata says it’s a ‘sporty and competitive look that intensifies the energy of the Nano’. What you get is a striped body decal that goes along the centre of the car from the bonnet to the boot, a striped decal on the side along the bottom of the doors with a prominent ‘nano’ sticker on the rear doors, along with white silver finished 9-spoke alloy wheels. On the LX variant a ‘sport’ addition gets you side skirts and bumper lips.
The bodykit will cost Rs. 27,000 for the 2013 Nano LX, Rs. 28,500 for the 2012 Nano LX; Rs. 15,000 for the 2013 Nano CX and Rs. 16,500 for the 2012 Nano CX.
“Remix”
Tata says it’s a ‘hip and trendy Nano featuring chic, tasteful color tones’. What you get is a softer looking decal on the bonnet and side decals below the window sills, along with silver nine-spoke alloy wheels. The side-skirt and bumper lip addition on the LX variant is called the ‘Style’ package.
The bodykit will cost Rs. 27,000 for the 2013 Nano LX , Rs. 28,500 for the 2012 Nano LX; 15,000 for the 2013 Nano CX and Rs. 16,500 for the 2012 Nano CX.
“Alpha”
Tata says it’s ‘designed to evoke the modern and premium feel of a show-car’. Don’t know what that means, but we feel this bodykit makes the Nano look pretty cool. What you get is a part-body decal that goes along the small upward swish above the air intakes on the side, graphite-finish nine-spoke alloy wheels and black-contrast roof.
The bodykit will cost Rs. 19,000 for the 2013 Nano LX, Rs. 20,500 for the 2012 Nano LX; Rs. 15,000 for the 2013 Nano CX and Rs. 16,500 for the 2012 Nano CX.
“Peach”
Tata says its ‘cute and youthful’. It’s the most… cute looking kit of the list. The decals have a very feminine looking design, and can be found on the bonnet and along the side under the window sills. The ‘Peach’ kit adds body-coloured nine-spoke wheels into the mix. There are no additions to the LX variant with this body-kit.
The bodykit will cost Rs. 15,000 for the 2013 Nano and Rs. 16,500 for the 2012 Nano
Interior
The major changes to the interior of the 2013 Tata Nano are limited to the CX and LX variant:
- Dual glove-boxes in place of the recesses in the top of the dashboard in the earlier Nano
- The LX variant gets a centre console-integrated music system that supports USB/AUX/Bluetooth connectivity and plays through four speakers, two alongside the glove-boxes on the dash and two at the back.
- Top end LX variant gets keyless entry
Other changes done across all variants include the relocation of the power-window switches behind the gear-lever stalk, the re-positioning of the hazard warning lamp switch from the steering column to the centre console.
Driving Comfort
Tata has worked on user feedback and improved the driver ergonomics of the car, these include the re-positioning of the power-window and hazard warning lamp switches. Most importantly, the steering wheel is larger in the 2103 Tata Nano to aid slow speed driving and the clutch is now lighter, the heavy clutch in the previous versions of the car were a bane in bumper-bumper-traffic and while driving on mountain roads.
Engine And Transmission
There are no changes to the engine or transmission on the 2013 Tata Nano, it is still powered by a 624cc, 4-stroke, 2-cylinder engine which powers the rear wheels via a four-speed gearbox. What is new is the new fuel powering the car, the Nano CNG eMAX is a bi-fuel car which has a 15 litre petrol tank and two CNG tanks equivalent to 32 litres.
The Tata Nano eMAX
The car is differentiated on the outside by the graphics and the badges, and on the inside the only thing that differentiates it from the standard Nano are the CNG tanks under the front seats. The great news about the eMAX is that it extends the range of the car by about 150 KM (in test conditions), and the claimed total distance before empty figure is 525 KM. It also means, lower operating costs and lower emissions.
The 624cc motor produces 33 BHP of power and 45 Nm of torque on CNG (as compared to 38 BHP and 51 Nm on petrol) the top speed is significantly lower (close or lesser than 100 KMPH as compared to 105 KMPH earlier) thanks to a 100 kg increase in weight of the car. The sequential gas injection system in the car has been calibrated with an intelligent EMS system, for smart switching between CNG and petrol. The car comes with software to take measures like automatically cutting-off of the CNG supply in case of a problem and automatic fuel quality checks.
The Nano eMAX will be launched by September 2013.
Conclusion
Tata has certainly improved the Nano, it needs to be seen if people will take on the idea that the Nano is more than just the cheapest car available in the Indian car market today. We will reserve our final judgement till the day Tata announces the pricing of the 2013 Nano, we expect pricing to be a few thousands more than the current version of the car. We can say this though, if you want a city runabout with lower operating costs that can carry four people in comfort, the Nano is your best bet.
